Rice and Hay Don't Mix
by 0KairiYajuu0
Summary: It's been seven years since Cell was defeated and Son Goku sacrificed his life. Now Son Gohan faced the hardest challenge he had yet. High School. Or was it... magically talking ponies? Gohan discovers an odd magical book that connects him to a Ms. Twilight Sparkle and as their destinies intertwine, they learn to be more careful when messing with portals. Collab w/Quantum Kakarotto
1. Prologue: Gohan's Discovery

Gohan wasn't sure what to make of this. Today was supposed to be his first day of High School and he was sure to Dende that this room wasn't his first class of the day. Still he couldn't deny that he was interested in all the books that surrounded him.

"This must be the library." he thought to himself, speaking out loud. "If dad was here and saw all these books, he'd high tail it back to Otherworld."

He took a quick glance at the clock on a nearby wall and saw he still had an hour before class started.

"Huh, I still have a bit of time till my first day officially starts," He grinned as he looked at all the books on the shelves. "Might as well enjoy myself a bit then!"

He walked between the bookcases and tried to see if anything caught his eye. As he walked past one row in particular, he noticed something strange. "Huh, what's that?"

He could've sworn it was a trick of the light but still, might as well investigate. Gohan walked over to what looked to be a glowing book. One that glowed a bright pink before dimming into the darkness of the shelf. He pulled the book away from its home and took a hard look at the cover of the book wasn't anything special, just a book bound book to the normal eye. But to Gohan's well trained eye, he could make out strange symbols and outlines of...a horses head?

"Doesn't seem like anything special...almost looks like something mom would have read to Goten and I when we were younger." Gohan spoke to himself quietly as he began to open the book slowly, in case any more strange occurrences happened. It seemed normal enough. On closer inspection, it looked like a diary story. He'd heard of people writing stories like that before. For it to be in this library, though, it must have something grand about its storytelling. Something he could study. He figured he'd check how long the book was, turning to the final page to find it… blank?

"That's odd." He said to himself. "I wonder where the ending actually is." He turned backwards in the pages to look for the true ending of the book, finally finding what looked to be the source of the glowing.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, nearly dropping the object in question. His eyes stared down at the book, wide as he witnessed writing appearing on the pages themselves!

"Dear Diary, today Pinkie Pie through another party. I wonder what has her so excited these past couple of days."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "Pinkie Pie? A party? What is this, a book for children? Wait, no, there's something else going on here." He remembered his training from his father and Mr. Piccolo as a young boy, he needed to watch his senses in case trouble appeared.

"So much for an ordinary first day…"


	2. Chapter 1: The Call of Adventure

**Chapter 1:** The Call Of Adventure, Son Gohan and Twilight Sparkles First Contact!

Three days had passed since he found the book. He wasn't sure why but Gohan was attached to it. He had caught himself up on the happenings of this "Twilight Sparkle" in the diary and was eagerly awaiting every nights newest entry. He tried sensing if any ki was involved in this seemingly magical item but he couldn't make sense of it.

Tonight was the night he was going to take a chance, though.

Tonight he was going to write in the diary and see what wou-.

"Big Brother!" came the voice of a young hyperactive child right next to Gohan, causing the older half-saiyan to cry out in a short panic, almost falling off his chair near his work desk. Gohan turned to see the source of said voice, his eyes landing on a young child, who looked strikingly like Son Goku back during his youth the only difference was that this child was dressed more formally, wearing a blue and white tunic with blue pants and black shoes.

This was Son Goten, the little brother of Gohan and son of Goku and Chi-Chi. The child Son Goku never knew he left behind for his family to fill the void he left behind,

"Hey bro, whatcha up too?" Goten grinned up at his elder brother. "And why are you staring at that book? Is it like those books old man Roshi has?"

"N-no!" Gohan responded. "Nothing like those books!" The older half-saiyan sighed and then smiled at the younger one. "Look, tell ya a secret."

"Okay!" Goten exclaimed with a large smile on his face that reminded Gohan of his late father's smile.

"There's something special about this book. Someone's writing in it and I get to see every word. So I'm trying to figure it out, alright? Why don't you go play with some of your toys and I'll call you over if I figure anything out. Deal?"

"Sure big bro, besides it sounds kinda creepy that you're reading someone's words…" Goten said. "Trunks said, people who do that are weirdos."

Gohan sputtered. He didn't really know how to respond to that. Was he being a weirdo? Nah, this was all in the name of science. He was sure this "Twilight Sparkle" would forgive him if she knew what it looked like from his end. "It's not weird, Goten, it's a mystery, get it?"

"You mean like that show we watched with the weird talking dog?"

"Yeah… like that. Now go play, alright? Let me work on this."

"Alright fine…" Goten grumbled, walking out of the room mumbling to himself. "Maybe Mom would play with me again without the yellow-"

Gohan let out a sigh. He loved his brother, really he did, but sometimes he could be a handful that got in the way. Still, he couldn't imagine lying to him. Lucky break that Goten didn't seem all that interested in the truth to begin with. Gohan then turned to the book and stared at the task at hand.

"Now, let's see if we can start to figure you out." He said to himself, opening the book up once again to the last written page.

Gohan took a pen and nervously began to write. "Hello there? Ms Twilight Sparkle, is it? I hope you don't mind but I've been reading what you've been writing. Somehow I get to see everything. How are you?" He brought his hand to his head. "Man, that's so lame. I should've thought this over better."

He stared down at his writing before he realized, "Just how long do I have to sit here and wait for a reply?"

Surprisingly enough, it only took a few moments before the book began to glow and writing began to appear. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh" it said. "This must be another magic book to that other world-"

Gohan blinked reading that portion. "Otherworld? Like where my Dad is right now?"

He then noticed more words began to appear.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle and I live in Equestria. Things are much different in my world than in yours. Do you know anyone named Sunset Shimmer?"

Gohan couldn't believe that this was happening. Not only did it work, but this Twilight Sparkle person didn't seem phased at all. In fact, she was acting like this was the second time something like this had occurred.

Gohan grabbed his pen and began to reply to Twilight. "Not that I know of, but we do have pretty sunsets where I live. Just out of curiosity do you happen to know anyone named, King Kai or Son Goku?"

Moments later, the writing returned. "No. No one like that here. That doesn't sound like anypony's name I've ever heard of."

"Pony?" Gohan exclaimed in surprise, what did she mean by pony?! He took his pen and began to write his next sentence to Twilight. "What do you mean by pony? Son Goku is a….human…and so am I?"

"Oh right." Twilight replied. "In your world, there aren't any ponies, are there? Well, in Equestria, we're all kinds of creatures but humans like you don't exist. It's a lot to take in, I know, believe me, but you get used to the idea."

"We have other creatures here in my world, we have dinosaurs, animals, and we have King Furry as our king who's a dog." Gohan wrote down for Twilight to read.

"A dog as a king?" The writing took a brief pause before it started up again. "I don't think your world is the same as Sunset's after all. If you want, we could make a portal using these books to see each other. At least, so long as there's some Equestrian magic in your world to base it on, which, the book your holding probably is." She rambled on.

"Your world doesn't sound like the Otherworld I know of either, but that portal idea does sound interesting and I would like to see how your world operates."

"Great! Then tomorrow we can work on it. I have to get some shut-eye tonight but I'm free all day tomorrow to meet a new friend. I'm sure Princess Celestia will be ecstatic to meet someone from a new world, too."

"Tomorrow it is!" Gohan grinned, speaking the words out loud as he wrote it down. By the time he finished writing it was then he realized...he still had school tomorrow! Not to mention his new duty as Satan City's newest hero (Man, was his superhero identity cool!).

"Aw man." Gohan scratched his head. "Maybe I could sneak a few messages to her during class or even during break. Hopefully there's no need for the Great Saiyaman tomorrow, either."


	3. Chapter 2: Ditching the New Semester

**Chapter 2: Ditching the New Semester, Gohan's Trip to Equestria**

The next day was pretty quiet as far as school was concerned. No emergencies from the city and nothing interesting being taught. Also no daily runaway from Videl as the Great Saiyaman.

So throughout the day Gohan wrote to his new friend behind the textbooks. Twilight Sparkle was a genius, he figured out. She told him how she made the previous portal by harnessing the magic from the other book she has and combining it with the magic mirror. Gohan couldn't help but laugh at the use of magic as if it were a science but he couldn't judge. Most people called his usage of ki a trick, especially Videl's father during the Cell Games seven years ago.

He studied the notes she copied over to him and figured out how he could make the same thing using a regular old mirror from his house. From the sound of how things worked with this Sunset Shimmer's world, his portal didn't need to be fueled by a magical object so having the book would be enough. Which was good news for Gohan, seeing as he didn't want to be stuck in this new world away from his family or friends.

By the time break rolled by Gohan was anxious, he really wanted to visit this magic world now but he couldn't let any of the other students see this portal or mess with it in any way. That left Gohan with one option…

Ditching.

His mom would certainly be upset with him but all the same he was sure he could handle missing a day or two. Or maybe three. However long he needed to stay. Once they got the portal working, he should be able to travel freely between the two worlds so there would be no real reason to stay for too long at a time. Who knows, if everything went well maybe he could invite Goten and Trunks next time. He was sure they would enjoy it from the way Twilight described it. And who knew, maybe he could invite Twilight and her friends over to his world.

Gohan carefully moved through the hallways of the school, making sure not to make any noise that would alert the teachers or other students in class on their own breaks of him ditching. He walked into another part of the hallway, seeing the exit to the roof nearby and grinned as he began to walk-

"Well, well, what do we have here." Came a voice from behind Gohan causing him to freeze in panic and fear. He turned to see a girl with black hair tied in pigtails, wearing a white shirt and black shorts looking at him with a smirk on her face. "Is Son Gohan actually ditching class for a bit of fresh air?"

"I-I um…" Gohan stuttered trying to find an answer. "I just wanted to eat lunch up on the roof Videl."

Videl glared at him. "A likely story. You always eat lunch in the classroom, what makes today any different?"

Gohan inwardly groaned at the situation but he kept a straight face as best he could. "Well, it's only been a couple of days. A little early to decide where to eat for good, ya know?"

Videl's eyes narrowed even more at Gohan, she had been keeping an eye on his since he started coming to this school, all those strange occurrences around him, especially when they played baseball together. And then the sudden appearance of the Great Saiyaman only a day after Gohan showed up. It was suspicious.

"Yeah. Sure. Then I'll bet you won't mind if I eat with you."

Gohan choked a bit on his own saliva as he heard what she just said. How was he supposed to sneak away if he had to deal with Videl being by his side most of the time?

"O-Oh yeah sure Videl!" Gohan nervously spoke as he gripped his bag a bit.

Just then, his savior came and Videl's watch began to go off.

"This is Videl, go ahead." Videl spoke into the watch with a more authoritative tone than the more playful one she used when speaking with Gohan earlier.

"Videl, several individuals have broken into the Satan City bank, we need backup A.S.A.P!" Spoke a concerned policeman through the watch as gunfire could be heard from the background of said call.

"On my way!" Videl stated as she began to run away towards the exit but not before giving Gohan one last look. "Don't think this is over Son Gohan! I expect to see you here when I get back!"

And with that, the daughter of Mr. Satan took off, leaving Gohan behind. As much as Gohan wanted to jump in to help as well, he knew this was his golden opportunity to go up to the roof, fly off and ditch school. And that's exactly what he did.

As he flew through the sky he pulled his special book out of its bag and began writing to Twilight once more.

"I'm leaving school now. Then we can get to work on that portal." A few minutes passed and before there was a response.

"Oh good. I've already got the portal on my end done so you just let me know when you're ready and I'll infuse some of my magic into it and get it started up."

Gohan grinned. This was actually happening. He was going to travel to another world, he hasn't been able to explore other worlds since the time he traveled to Planet Namek with Kurirn and Bulma when he was little!

Once he made it home he got to work. Careful of avoiding his mother (which was quite a challenge) and little brother (also quite a challenge) he snuck into the bathroom and picked up the standing mirror that sat against the wall, carefully carrying it outside and to the lake where his father would go fishing with him.

Once there, he began putting the different pieces together. It was simple, really. Twilight would handle all the magic part so all he had to do was place conductors on the book and the mirror to connect them so that the portal would open where he could travel through it.

"Alright, that should do it." Gohan sighed, wiping the imaginary sweat from his forehead as he stared down at the soon to be portal. "Now I just have to wait for Twilight's side."

A few hours passed with Gohan hanging around waiting for the portal to open before he saw the mirror glow. Tentatively he touched the bright object and almost fell over as he hand went right through. Swallowing his fears he pushed himself through and began the transformation that he wasn't expecting.

It took him a couple of minutes to blink into reality but the first thing he noticed was that he was struggling to balance on two legs so he fell over onto his...hands? His eyes grew wide. Those weren't hands. Those were, hooves, was it? He knew this was a land of magical ponies but he didn't expect to turn into one!

A purple pony with a darker colored purple mane with lighter highlights in it squeed in happiness and danced a bit on her spot. "It WORKED! I'm so happy it worked! I mean, I know my hypothesis was perfect but for an experiment to work the first time is still quite the accomplishment!"

Gohan struggled to stand on his...hooves, as he stared at the pretty purple pony in front of him and smiled. "You must be Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight Sparkle smiled back at the newest pony to Equestria and replied back to him. "And you must be Son Gohan."


	4. Chapter 3: The Cutie Mark Crusaders

**Chapter 3: The Cutie Mark Crusaders - Son Gohan, a Blank Flank?!**

"Welcome to Equestria, Son Gohan!"

Gohan smiled nervously. "Y-yeah. Wow, when you said you were a pony, I didn't expect the purple or the uh wings...or the horn."

"Yes, well, I'm an alicorn. Sorry for not telling you about that. I suppose being a princess is something I should've mentioned."

Gohan's eyes grew wide in shock. "A p-princess? Really?" Now that he REALLY didn't expect. Then again, he shouldn't be so nervous. After all, his mother is a princess to the Ox Kingdom. Wait, didn't that make his father a prince? Ah, whatever, that was another topic for another day.

"Yes, well, I'm not the only one with a horn, it seems. Looks like the portal translated you into being a unicorn."

Gohan tried to look up to see what Twilight was talking about but he didn't see anything. "Uh-huh. I'll just take your word for it then." Gohan took another look at his hooves and hummed. "Looks like I'm blue now, too. Didn't expect that."

Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What, you're not that color in your world?"

Gohan shook his head. "Uh - no - it's a little more complicated than that."

Twilight trotted around Gohan, studying him carefully. "Well you are now. Oh - it looks like you don't have a cutie mark. That's strange for someone of your age. Do you not know your destiny yet?"

"Cutie mark? You mean a birthmark or something?" Gohan asked, his eyebrow raised in confusion.

Twilight nodded. "Yeah. A cutie mark. See, mine represents magic." She moved to the side ever so slightly in order to give Gohan a good look Something he found rather awkward considering where the mark was placed. "It's a mark that everypony earns that tells you what makes you special. But you have to earn it."

"Earn it how?"

"By discovering for yourself what your place in the world is meant to be. You know, I could introduce you to some really good friends of mine that would love to help you figure yours out, if you want. Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself. I bet first you want to learn how to use magic, don't you?"

Gohan laughed nervously at all the new information. It was a LOT to take in. He wasn't exactly sure how to process it all. "Uh - how about we start with just a tour around the world? While we're walking you can tell me how this magic of yours works." ' _I'll bet it's a lot like ki.'_ he thought to himself.

The two began to walk down a path towards what looked to be a small town with...flying ponies...and other ponies walking around enjoying their day. Unicorns were levitating objects as they walked, pegasi were sleeping on the clouds, this world was an adventure, alright.

Gohan was amazed but before he could open his mouth, a bright pink pony zoomed by before coming to a full stop in front of him. Gohan stared at her as the pony got uncomfortably close and stared right back. "Um… hello?" She gasped and finally backed off, bouncing up and down as she smiled gleefully.

"Twilight! This is a new friend to ponyville! I've never seen him before! We need to throw a party for him! Just like the one I through for you when you first got here! Hopefully he's not a cranky one like you were and he'll love to join in on the games!"

Twilight giggled at her friend and turned to Gohan. "Sorry about her. She gets really excited when meeting someone new. She makes it her job to learn everypony's name that she can."

"Yup! I'm Pinkamina Diane Pie but you can call me Pinkie Pie! I'm one of Twilight's best friends in the whole wide Equestria!"

Gohan lifted a hoof in a sign of giving a hand shake as best he could. "Um… I'm.. Son Gohan but just Gohan is fine. Actually, I'm not just new to this town, I'm new to this whole world."

"Ooooo!" Pinkie Pie grinned. "Another world, huh? Twilight, is this one of your friends from that High School where you met the mysterious Flash Centry?"

Twilight blushed slightly but then shook her head. "No, different world. We met through the diary Celestia gave me. Anyways, Pinkie, I don't think we'll need any parties. Just a tour around the town is enough and maybe a visit to the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"The Cutie Mark Crusaders, huh?" Gohan blinked. There was that word again.

"Well," Pinkie Pie stood straight finally ceasing her bouncing. "It's weird to see someone so old without a cutie mark but if anyone can help it's the CMC!"

Gohan nodded slowly. "Is it, uh, is it really that important?"

"Well," Twilight began to answer, "you want the full pony experience, right? And besides, not having a cutie mark means you're questioning your destiny, right?"

Gohan blinked once more in confusion. "I guess that's what you said but are some people - er - ponies I've never meant before supposed to be able to help?"

"That's their special talent, after all. Hm.. You know what, Pinkie, how about we have that party with all our friends. I want to introduce Gohan to them."

Pinkie Pie let out a loud gasp and then as quickly as she appeared she was gone.

Gohan raised an eyebrow "Well that was something." Twilight giggled. "What?" He said.

"Nothing, it's just that's what I said when I first met Pinkie Pie. Don't worry, nopony else is quite as wild as her. So, how about those Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

They walked through the town stopping by a cake shop to snack on some cupcakes before finally heading towards what looked to be a big apple farm. An orange pony with a yellow mane and tail could be seen bucking at some trees and putting the apples that fell into the baskets that lay next to them.

Twilight walked up to her as though she knew her so Gohan followed behind at a polite distance.

"Howdy Twilight!" The orange pony exclaimed. "What brings you and your new friend here?"

"Applejack, this is Gohan. He's from another world that we've ended up coming in contact with."

The pony known as Applejack let out an impressed whistle. "Well, Twilight, I'll be as sour as a green apple, you're always so full of surprises." Applejack trotted past Twilight to grab Gohan's hoof and shake it. "We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do love making new friends. Hiya, Gohan, I'm Applejack."

"Uh hi. Yeah. Nice to meet you." Gohan returned the hand - hoof? - shake, wondering how they managed to hold something in those hooves without having any thumbs. He thought it best not to question it, though.

Twilight stepped up. "Applejack, I was wondering, have you seen Applebloom and her friends? We need their help with something."

Applejack nodded towards the back of the barn. "They're in their clubhouse bored as ever. How come?"

Gohan, sick of being like a dead weight in the conversation, spoke up, "Apparently it's imperative that I earn a "Cutie Mark", was it?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes. A Cutie Mark. I figured it's the least we could do to help you out."

Gohan laughed nervously. "Help out… right. Cause I _really_ _need_ this Cutie Mark."

Twilight looked to Gohan before walking off, expecting him to follow. And follow her he did. They made it to what looked like a childrens treehouse in the middle of the farm after a good while of walking.

"Alright. Here we are." Twilight called out, "Cutie Mark Crusaders, somepony has a problem with their Cutie Mark!" Gohan frowned. Was that really supposed to get their attention? Why not go up there and knock? But sure enough, the door slammed open and three little ponies popped out, one small unicorn on one side, one small regular pony on the other, and a small pegasus standing on top of them both.

"Problem? Somepony? Cutie Mark?" They all stared with eyes glowing bright with excitement.

Gohan couldn't remove his frown. These were obviously children. Was it really their place to put such an important task? He brought a hoof to his face. "Important task?" he mumbled to himself. "What told you that it was an important task, Gohan?"

Twilight looked to Gohan and smiled. "I know they seem young but trust me, I would trust nopony else."

"Nopony else. Right."

The CMC all came running down their clubhouse steps, running in front of Twilight and Gohan as they tried to contain their excitement.

"Who's the pony that needs help? Or is it another Griffin? Or a Hippogriff?" The pegasus gasped as she interrupted regular pony "Oo oo is it a big fire breathing dragon?!"

Twilight laughed lightly. "No, my little ponies. It's nothing like that. It's my new friend Gohan, here. He doesn't have his Cutie Mark yet. We were wondering if you would be able to help him."

All three girls salutted and in unison they yelled. "You can count on us!" They then began surrounding Gohan.

"Let's see." The unicorn started as she circled around the stallion. "A grown pony with no cutie mark. I'll bet your heart is torn into several different places, isn't it?"

Gohan flinched nervously. She wasn't wrong when he thought hard enough about it but still… "That's a little personal, dontcha think?"

"Of course it's personal!" The regular pony with the country accent responded. "A Cutie Mark is the most personal part of a pony!"

Twilight pulled a book out of her bag and went to go sit by a tree. "I'll be right here if you decide you want to do something else, Gohan, but I promise you, these girls will help you figure your life out for sure."

Gohan sighed. Looks like he's roped into sharing his most personal thoughts with three little ponies. "Say, I don't even know your names. Think you could help me out?"

The orange pegasus flapped her wings and hovered off the ground. "I'm Scootaloo! This is Applebloom," she said, pointing to the yellow regular pony, "and the unicorn is Sweetie Belle."

"Nice to meet you." Sweetie Belle responded. "Now tell us why you haven't picked your one special place yet."


	5. Interlude 1: Gohan Has Left The World!

**Interlude: Oh No! Gohan has left the world!**

"OH NOOOOO!" came the screaming voice of a fat catfish type humanoid alien as he ran around a large open field near the large mansion. Anyone near the large field paused as they looked at the commotion going on near them.

One particular individual was a man who seemed to be in his late twenties, wearing an orange martial arts gi with a blue undershirt and a blue sash tied around his waist. The most outstanding thing about this man, was the fact that he had a halo hovering above his black spikey gravity-defying hair. He blinked a few times before walking over to the panicking catfish alien with a confused look on his face.

"Yo! King Kai, what's with all the screamin'?" Asked the man as the catfish-man, now identified as King Kai, paused and looked at him with a look of pure horror behind his shades.

"IT'S HORRIBLE GOKU! THE WORLD WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN! THE BALANCE OF ALL OF CREATION COULD BE THREATENED RIGHT NOW!" Exclaimed King Kai loudly, forcing the man, Son Goku, to cover his ears from the screeching Kai.

Goku looked at his former teacher with a pouty look as he spoke. "King Kai! Stop yellin' already and just tell me what's up?!"

The next thing Goku knew, King Kai was breathing rapidly into a brown paper bag with his symbol on it as his two companions, Gregory the grasshopper man, and Bubbles the monkey, were patting his back and making sure the catfish man calmed down.

After calming down, King Kai spoke again. "It's horrible Goku! A rift has occurred in the fabric of our reality creating a gateway to a new world!"

Goku blinked in confusion looking down at him. "Huh, is that a bad thing? What's wrong with visitin' other worlds?"

"You don't understand you moron!" King Kai yelled at his student. "Portals like these can lead to multiple dimensions some leading to dimensions with enemies more dangerous than Cell or Freeza combined!" He explained before looking down with a defeated look. "And to make matters worse, your son Gohan has entered through one of these portals to who knows where…"

"WHAT?!" Goku's eyes widened in shock at the news as he leaned down closer to his former teacher. "Gohan's in another world?!"

"I'm afraid so Goku…" King Kai continued to speak. "Who knows what sort of trouble that boy of yours is walking into right now, he could be attacked by a weirdo hyperactive ninja, or a crowd of angry fangirls! Or even worse… a world with other weirdos that dress up in ridiculous clothes like he does..."

Goku stared at King Kai for a few moments before grinning. "Don't worry King Kai, I'm sure Gohan is having the time of his life right now."

King Kai looked at Goku as if he just smashed his car with a hammer as he did all those years ago when training to fight against Vegeta and Nappa. "Are you for real Goku! What makes you think Gohan isn't in danger at this very moment?!"

"Just this feelin' King Kai." Goku smiled before staring up at the golden clouds above the Grand Kai's planet. "I bet Gohan knows exactly what he's doin' right now. I'm just sad I can't join him on this adventure right now. But I guess I'll just have to ask him about it in a few days."

Goku then pumped his fist into the air. "Alright! Can't have Gohan having all the fun! Time to get back to trainin'!"

All King Kai did was sigh in defeat.


	6. Chapter 4: A Heart in Two Places

**Chapter 4: A Heart in Two Places**

"So basically what you're saying is…" Sweetie Belle started off before Applebloom continued "... you can't decide between what your mom wants and what your dad wants."

Gohan nodded, still feeling incredibly awkward about revealing so much to three children. Still, Twilight insisted and he couldn't help but trust her. "Yeah. Something like that. My mom wants me to be a great scholar and always has but I want to honor my father's memory somehow. Plus, I feel like I need to do what I can to protect everyone."

Scootaloo tilted her head curiously before sitting down. "His memory? Is your dad dead or something?"

Applebloom smacked Scootaloo on the head. "You Dodo, you can't just say something like that!"

Scootaloo rubbed her head with her hoof, letting out a pout as she responded. "What? My parents are dead too. It's no big deal really."

Gohan frowned. So that's why it was so easy for her to come to that conclusion. She seemed so young, though. He couldn't help but wonder about Scootaloo's story but this wasn't the time and place to get nosey.

"Anyways," Sweetie Belle spoke, "how come you have to choose? Can't you just do both?"

"Well... " Gohan started. But then he stopped. Why DID he have to choose? "Doing both sounds really difficult, dontcha think?" With all the studying he had to do while posing as the Great Saiyaman, doing both did seem rather difficult. What would happen when the next Cell showed up eventually?

Scootaloo stood up and hoovered in place for a second. "Difficult yeah but still really cool! Having a Cutie Mark for TWO talents sounds awesome!"

Applebloom glared over at the hyperactive pegasus. "It sounds cool but trust me, it ain't. Remember the Cutie Pox?"

"Oh...right…" Scootaloo landed back with all four hooves on the ground and stared at the dirt beneath her.

"Dodo." Sweetie Belle murmured.

"Hey! Don't call me names I don't know the meaning of!"

Applebloom stood between them and pushed the two apart. "Girls! We're trying to solve a Cutie Mark problem, remember?!"

Gohan laughed nervously for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Actually, I really don't think this is necessary. Where I come from most people don't have Cutie Marks or anything like that. Your destiny isn't figured out until you're well on your way into it."

"Well, that's okay." Applebloom responded. "We've helped plenty of creatures who don't have Cutie Marks! We've actually recently helped a Hippogriff with a similar problem you have only we didn't really do much to help without Twilight."

Gohan sighed. He wasn't getting away from this. Still he gave Twilight a look, a silent plea for mercy, if you will, but she just smiled, shrugged and went back to her book. He just hoped when this was all over he didn't still have this Cutie Mark on his human body, his mother would kill him for having a tattoo, magical or otherwise.

Gohan sat down, getting used to the feeling since he was now a horse and all that. "So, where do we start?"

"Easy. We write up a list of pros and cons for each side!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "I'll go get a paper!"

An hour or two passed and still they were writing down the pros and cons of each side.

Scootaloo seemed to favor the "protector of the Earth" side of things while the other two were more neutral. Though Applebloom leaned more towards science specifically of all things. She seemed really interested in potion making.

Gohan growled in frustration as he continued to think about the pros and cons of each side. If he didn't keep up his training and a new threat did appear to attack the Earth, his world would probably end up just like the Future Trunks' timeline, (Gohan wondered how he's been) but if he abandoned his martial arts side, he would be able to focus more on his dreams of being a scholar and leave protecting the world to Vegeta, Piccolo, and the others.

Sweetie Belle yelled out in frustration suddenly. "This is impossible! I can't believe it's all evened out!"

Applebloom scratched at her mane. "Yeah. It's really difficult. Are ya SURE you can't do both?"

"Positive." Gohan answered. "If I had been able to do both, I would have found a way to do so by now, but being a hero does take a lot out of my school hours, and being stuck at school cuts my time as Sai- I-I mean being a hero."

"Hmm…." Scootaloo pondered. "Well, I'm stuck."

"Me too." Sweetie Belle replied.

"Me three." Applebloom finished. And together they all sighed and fell over onto their stomachs.

Gohan frowned. There had to be something he could do in order to figure this out. The more he thought about it, the more he wondered, why DID he have to choose? Many kids his age did school and extracurriculars. He was already doing both and even with skipping class to be the Great Saiyaman he managed to stay on top. Maybe…

Applebloom interrupted his thoughts. "Say, what DO you wanna be a scholar for, anyways?"

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what are you going to school to learn how to do? Are you studyin' magic?"

Gohan laughed. "It's not magic, really, in my world it's - " and then there it was. The spark. He could study ki! That would create an interesting topic for millions of other scientists to write thesis about for years to come! Soon, Gohan began to think out loud. "Studying ki would require me to keep up my training and keep growing my ki to be better controlled. I could study what mastery of ki could do for fighting prowess in general. It might even be a book Dad would read. Okay, so, that's a little bit much to believe in but still, it's possible!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders watched as Gohan was lost in his little dream world with a sweatdrop falling from their manes.

As Gohan continued his ramblings, a light began to envelope him as he was raised from the ground. The Cutie Mark Crusaders stood up and stared with wide eyes as it happened. Finally, after only a few hours of being in this world, he found the answer to his most troubling question. And it only took breaking the fabric of reality through the power of science and magic to do it.

When the light was gone and Gohan came back down to Earth after finishing his monologue, he noticed the CMC dancing around him excitedly.

"You got your Cutie Mark! You got your Cutie Mark!" they sang. Gohan watched them with a smile before blinking and taking a quick look at his flank.

Sure enough, like a colored tattoo, there was an image placed right on his butt. He still found the placement odd but at the same time, he was beginning to get used to it. There, right on him, undeniably so, was the symbol of his fathers name "Son" placed on a big brown book. He smiled. That's what he would do. He would write a book about ki. About what his father taught him.


	7. Interlude 2: Missing Gohan!

**Interlude: Missing Gohan! Where Has Gohan Gone?**

"SON GOHAN!" a voice screamed, as hundreds of people miles away paused from their daily activities, hearing the strange shriek from the distance.

Meanwhile, in a small house far from civilization, a certain female was livid as her entire face was red with steam bursting from her ears in anger. This enraged female was none other than the wife of Son Goku and mother of Gohan, and Goten...

Son Chi-Chi!

"GOHAN! YOU WILL COME HERE THIS INSTANT!" Chi-Chi exclaimed in anger, waiting for her eldest to arrive in front of her. Goten watched from the doorway, shivering in fear knowing just how scary his mom could be from being angry, especially when he turned blonde in front of her for the first time.

Chichi huffed at how her son refused to appear in front of her when she called. "That boy is in SO much trouble. First I get a call saying he's left school without a word, then I'm left worrying if he's sick only to find that he's not coming home at all! If he's playing that hero game of his instead of studying like I told him, he'll never hear the end of it!"

"Maybe Gohan was busy writing in his new book?" Goten said out loud, causing Chi-Chi to hear him and quickly turn her attention to her youngest with wide eyes.

"A book? Oh - well then, if it's something that'll get him into a good university then I suppose I can forgive staying out late but I still can't forgive him skipping class! He'll never get the grades he needs, book or no book!"

"Is skipping class bad mom? I mean Trunks tells me he does it all the time and doesn't get in trouble for it." Goten said, curious about why his mom was so angry about Gohan skipping when Trunks never got into trouble.

"You bet your behind it's bad and if I find out he's hanging out with some rowdy teenagers dying his hair blue and getting tattoos he'll never see the light of day outside of class again!"

"Alright...so when's dinner ready mom?"

Chichi huffed one last time and crossed her arms. "Soon enough, Goten and you can eat as much as you want cause your brother's not getting any tonight."

"Hooray!" Goten cheered jumping in excitement, causing Chi-Chi to grow a small sad smile.

"I swear, sometimes you're just like your father…"


	8. Chapter 5: Ki and Magic!

**Chapter 5: Ki and Magic! Trading Sciences of Energy!**

Gohan laughed as he entered the castle. "Wow" he exclaimed "I didn't expect that to feel so good. And you knew before even I did that there was something wrong. How did you do that?"

"Like I said" Twilight answered as she closed the doors behind them. "I could tell because you didn't have a Cutie Mark. Even the girls in Sunset's world have Cutie Marks."

Gohan took a look at the castle and took note of every crystal that shimmered throughout it. "This place is amazing. I bet it took years to build."

"Actually it just sort of appeared hehe." Twilight said as she sat at one of the seats. "None of the girls are here so you can sit on one of their spots." Gohan nodded and did just that, choosing the first one he saw which happened to be one with three butterflies printed on it.

"Just sort of appeared, huh?" Gohan looked around again. "Let me guess." He turned to Twilight with a raised eyebrow and a slight grin "Magic."

Twilight nodded, not understanding where the strange look came from. "Yes. Magic. Lots of crazy and wild things happen because of it here in Equestria. If you want, I can show you how to use it."

Gohan's eyes lit up. "Yes! I would love to learn how to use it. I figured out while we were outside that my ki doesn't work in this world. I actually can't sense any of it anywhere but your pegasi obviously have control of something if they're able to fly with such small wings."

Twilight shrugged. "Well, all creatures with wings are able to fly here. Well, almost all of them." She shook her head as if that thought wasn't important and continued on before Gohan could question it. "Let's just talk about magic in Equestria, then."

Twilight climbed down off of her chair and walked to a nearby door, opening it to reveal a closet full of teaching supplies. "I'm thinking of starting up a school about Friendship so I've been gathering supplies." Gohan noticed Twilight's horn begin to glow a light purple, then he saw objects in the closet glowing the same color. Clearly she was manipulating the chalkboard, chalk, eraser and books using this "magic" that she spoke of. Gohan was dumbfounded. She was levitating surrounding objects using her ki - er - magic. That was something he never considered doing back home.

"Now, first thing we do is what I taught Sweetie Belle. Simple levitation."

Gohan nodded slowly. He wasn't sure how to even begin.

Twilight brought in an apple from the kitchen and set it on the massive table. "Here. Now, channel the energy you feel within yourself into your horn."

"Ah - right - the energy within myself."

"I know, I know, it's hard to understand unless you've felt it all your life. But that's the best way to explain it."

"It's not that." Gohan interjected. "It's just that ki in my world works the same way. Well, except the horn part. We focus our energy either on our hands or feet depending on where we want it and every living creature has this energy. We just call it ki instead of magic."

"Wait, didn't you say it DIDN'T work the same?"

"Well, I thought it didn't but I guess I was just skipping part of the process. How does it work again, focus on my horn?"

Gohan took to the magic like a fish to water. It took him a few hours and a lot of tries but he was able to get the hang of levitating the apple.

Before he knew it it was night. Gohan's eyes grew wide. "Oh no! I should be home by now! Mom will find out I skipped school and kill me!"

Twilight frowned. "What? You skipped school to see me? Wait, someone of your age is still in school? Then again, the people in Sunset's world were still in school too, hm."

"Twilight, you can ponder about this later. Right now I really really really need to get home!"

"Of course." Twilight smiled. "Just a simple teleportation spell to the mirror outside and you'll be on your way home."

She wasn't lying. They were both enveloped in a light and before he knew it, Gohan was teleporting. Much like his dad's instantaneous movement technique. Gohan was beyond amazed at the extent of this world's magic but he could study it later, for now he had to get home.

"Wait." Twilight stopped him before he could step through the portal. "Will I get to see you again?"

Something about that question and those eyes said something deeper than Gohan was expecting but he shook that thought away and smiled. "Definitely. I'm off school tomorrow so we can hang out all day. I may even bring my brother along - er - if that's okay with you."

Twilight smiled back at him and nodded. "Of course. You heard Applejack. We love making new friends. Don't forget, though, you promised to show me your world and teach me about your ki manipulation."

Gohan gave one last nod and with that he was off. Luckily nothing happened to the portal while he was gone. This area was always a special place for their family because of how peaceful it was. No dinos, no saber tooth tigers, no people, just a few apple trees, lots of flowers and a beautiful lake. It was the perfect spot.

It took a couple of steps to get used to walking on two legs again but soon enough Gohan was running through the forest and even less time passed before he was back in the air, flying home as the cold night air nipped at his skin.

Hopefully he wouldn't be too grounded for too long.


	9. Chapter 6: The Return Home

**Chapter 6: The Return Home**

Sure enough by the time Gohan got home it was dark and he was in trouble. He didn't even need to see his mom to sense the angry energy coming from the house. He should've guessed that time worked the same in both worlds. For some reason he thought he could get away with it. Like that story of the magic wardrobe that led to another world where time froze on one end.

Gohan figured he could go without asking for dinner as he slipped into the house quietly.

"Hey Gohan!" a familiar voice called out. Gohan winced and turned around, shushing his younger brother.

"Shhhh - Goten - be quiet! I don't want mom to hea-"

"GOHAN!" but it was too late. His cover had already been blown. The older son of Goku turned towards the source of his fears at the moment and found his mother with fire in her eyes as she glared at him with a look of rage and disappointment.

"U-Uh, h-hey mother." Gohan said, his voice shaking from fear as he started to laugh nervously, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "H-How's your day been?"

"Mister, my day has been full of stress because of you. I got a call from your school asking if you had come home sick because you didn't show up to class after your lunch break. What was I supposed to tell them?" She turned around and clasped her hands together, tears in her eyes as she imagined the worst. "Oh Goku, where did I go wrong with our boy? He used to be such a kind-hearted young boy who loved to study and listen to his mother but now he's turned into an awful delinquent who's dressing up weird and skipping class now, too!" She brought her hands to her face and began to sob. "Oh what happened to my dear precious Gohan!"

"Mom, please don't cry." Gohan begged as he began to comfort her. "I'm sorry for skipping class, I was just caught up in finding myself out and knowing what I want to do with my life but it's okay! I've got it all figured out now."

Chi-Chi looked up from her hands, staring at her eldest son with a look of sadness and curiosity in her eyes. "R-Really?"

"Yeah mom!" Gohan exclaimed, stumbling through his words. "I-I uh w-want to study the ki inside us and how people like dad and myself are able to manipulate it and create things out of it!"

"Oh honey, do you know how much money you can get for that kind of research! If you prove to a board of directors that you can do all that, then they'll just be throwing money at you asking you to study it!" Chi-Chi's tone suddenly shifted from melancholy to excitement at the news.

Gohan let out a breath of air in a relieved sigh. He didn't expect his mom to be so enthusiastic about it but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. If she was happy with his decision and his 'destiny' that his new friends helped him learn, he could break the news to her about the other world a lot easier when the time came for it.

Goten blinked, looking back and forth from his mother and his older brother with only one thought running through his head. 'Grown-ups are weird.'

Chi-Chi put her hands on her hips and glared at Gohan "But don't think this gets you off the hook! If you're going to have a chance at that research you need a good education to back you up and you can't get that if you're skipping school! So no dinner tonight, got it?"

Gohan sighed and hung his head. "Yes ma'am."

"Now march to that room of yours mister and go think about what you did!"

The oldest son of Goku nodded, walking into the small Son family household and towards his room that he shared with Goten. He closed the door behind him and laid on his bed, staring up at the ceiling thinking.

'A world full of talking ponies, cutie marks, and it's own society based on magic.' Gohan grinned. 'Dad, I wish I could speak to you right now, because you'd never believe the kind of adventure I'm on right now!'


	10. Chapter 7: Princess Luna's Warning

That night, Twilight had a peculiar dream. It was the first of its kind. It was like a lucid dream only for the life of her she couldn't control it. It wasn't until she heard a familiar voice that she began to put the pieces together.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle. You've made quite the discovery, haven't you?"

Twilight smiled and looked to the moon in her dream, watching as Princess Luna manifested herself from its calming light and lowered herself to speak on Twilights level.

"Princess Luna! This is a surprise. Oh, but you can't believe the adventure I've had and tomorrow it will only get better."

Luna smiled and nodded at her younger counterparts enthusiasm. "Yes. You were dreaming about it earlier. I know all about what has transpired."

Twilight sat down casually and continued to speak to the fellow princess. "Then… why are you here? Have I done something wrong?" Twilight frowned. She didn't know of any laws against what she was doing but all because she didn't know of them, didn't mean they didn't exist.

Luna laughed lightly to herself. "No, no, Princess Twilight, you are not in trouble of any kind. I merely wish to bring you a warning." The dark blue pony frowned and looked to the sky. "As numerous as there are stars in my beautiful night there are worlds out there beyond our comprehension. I will not stop you from exploring them but I ask you to err on the side of caution." She looked back to the younger princess. "Twilight, you know nothing of this world of which you are so fascinated by. And you know nothing of its inhabitants."

"Then you're asking me to stop seeing Gohan and to leave the world alone?"

Luna shook her head. "No. I'm only asking that you be careful and listen closely to your heart. Curiosity is a powerful trap that you fall into consistently. So long as we know nothing of this world, it is equal parts dangerous as it is enticing to look at. I will not tell my sister of your adventures, for I feel she would stop you, but still I ask once again, listen closely to your heart and let it guide you through this journey."

Twilight stood and lowered her head in a respectful bow. "Of course, Princess Luna. I will do my best to study the world with vigilance."

Luna nodded and flew above her. "Then I shall return you to your sleep. Farewell Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight nodded in return and returned to her dream about the other world, enjoying the mystery that surrounded it.


	11. Chapter 8: A Slippery Little Brother

Gohan dashed through the forest as fast as he could travel, heading towards the portal sight to meet Twilight. He could hardly contain his excitement but just before he landed near the portal he sensed a certain ki signature that he could recognize miles away.

Landing next to his portal he turned to the forest and called out "I know you're there, Goten. Come on out."

Goten jolted in his place before walking out of the forest with a curious gleam in his eyes. "Whatcha doin' Gohan?"

Gohan smiled and leaned over to be at Goten's level. "Don't worry about it. Shouldn't you be helping mom?"

Goten shook his head. "She said I could come play with you today if I wanted to."

Gohan sighed and looked over at the portal, carefully weighing his options. "Okay." he finally said. "You can meet my new friend. I'm gonna teach her how to control her ki and how to fly."

Goten gasped and smiled wide. "I wanna learn how to fly!"

Gohan laughed. "Alright, sport. I'll teach you, too. Just go easy on my friend Twilight, okay? She's from another world so she's gonna have trouble walking let alone flying. And ki doesn't work the same in her world so we're gonna have to teach her from the ground up. Can you make a ki ball, Goten?"

Goten nodded and did what was asked of him, creating a warm energy in his hands. "Like this, right?"

Gohan smiled. "Yeah! Just like that! I figured you would know that much. So just sit tight and we'll wait for Twilight together."

"Okay Gohan!"

About an hour passed before the light of the portal began to glow. Gohan and Goten were resting on the grass when they heard the whirring sound of its activation. They sat up together, Goten playing with a frog that landed near them and Gohan standing up. "Here she comes! Get ready to meet a princess, Goten."

Goten gasped and let the frog down, standing up as well. "A princess? You didn't tell me that, Gohan!"

Gohan grinned. "Well, I have now."

When Twilight came through she was sitting down. Gohan grinned and held a hand out to her to help her up. "Here. We walk on two feet in this world."

Twilight stood and smiled at Gohan's help. "Thank you. I've been in a world like that before so I have quite a bit of practice in it." She took a look at herself and noticed that she wasn't purple like she was used to but rather the same color as Gohan. She was wearing the same outfit from when she would visit Sunset Shimmer, though, so she assumed this world wasn't _that_ different from theirs.

Goten frowned and spoke up. "She doesn't look like a princess."

Twilight jolted back and yelped at the new voice. "Wha - who is that?"

Gohan laughed. "Don't worry. That's just my little brother. I've told him everything already. Trust me, he's not going to do anything nefarious. He just wants to learn to fly as well."

"Can I come to your home sometime, too?"

Twilight smiled nervously before leaning over and holding a hand out to Goten. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, but you can just call me Twilight."

Goten reached out and shook her hand. "That sounds cool! What do you do as a princess? Do you get to fight a lot?"

The stranger to the new world laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "Actually, I kind of do but I don't like to."

"Whaaaaaat? Who doesn't like to fight?!"

Gohan groaned and rubbed his own head. "Goten… not everyone likes fighting."

Goten pouted. "But you do, Gohan! That's why you dress up as the Great Saiyaman, isn't it?"

Gohan blushed and covered Goten's mouth. "Shush! That's a secret, Goten! Look, Twilight, don't listen to anything he says, okay? He's part Sai- I mean - he's just a kid! Young boys really like to fight. You should hear what he and his friend Trunks do all the time hahaha!"

Twilight starred in confused surprise. What was Gohan going to say before he interrupted himself? What was the 'Great Saiyaman'? And what was all this talk about fighting as though it were fun? "Right. Kids. Gohan, is it true that you _like_ fighting?"

Gohan sighed. The jig was up. "Not exactly. Goten seems too but he's got a lot more than that in common with our dad so it doesn't surprise me. I don't, though. I only fight when I really have too."

"Oh…" Twilight wasn't sure what to think of all that. Someone as young as Goten - she assumed he was young - enjoying to fight? That seemed rough. She took a step back towards the portal. Maybe Princess Luna was right. Maybe this place and these people were dangerous. She looked back before getting lost in Gohan's eyes. Suddenly she felt relaxed. That's right. This was her friend. She should trust him. She smiled at Gohan and Gohan smiled knowingly right back, finally releasing Goten.

"Alright! So let's talk about ki! Believe it or not, Twilight, it works a lot like your worlds magic."

Goten gasped. "They have magic?! That's so cool! Teach me, teach me Ms. Twilight!"

Gohan sighed and shook his head. "She can't right now, Goten, it doesn't work in our world."

"Oh… " Goten looked down in disappointment before looking up again, pulling up his fists and smiling big. "Then I'll just have to go to her world!" and that's exactly what he did.

Before either of the adults could stop the run away child, Goten was through the portal. On instinct, Gohan chased him down and following shortly thereafter was Twilight.

When Gohan arrived he immediately tried senses Goten's ki but felt nothing. 'Of course' he thought to himself, 'ki doesn't work here. I forgot.' he groaned and looked around, not knowing how Goten would look as a pony made things difficult for them.

Twilight made it behind Gohan and looked around as well. "He couldn't have gotten far, could he? Surely he's still in the castle."

"Who knows." Gohan sighed. "He's fast and slippery. He's always been like this. That Pinkie Pie who threw that party for me, she knows everyone in town, right?"

Twilight nodded, at first not understanding what Gohan was getting at before it hit and her eyes widened. "So she would be able to recognize a new foal running around!"

Gohan hummed and looked towards the nearest door. "Goten, where could you have gotten off too?"


	12. Chapter 9: Surprise Visit From Royalty

Twilight and Gohan were in a panic but Twilight taught Gohan her breathing trick and soon they were relaxed enough to focus.

The plan first was to check the castle. Then they would ask Pinkie Pie for help.

As they climbed out from the castle basement to the main hall with the Cutie Map, they were surprised to see a tall alicorn princess with a cutie mark of a sun to match her bright white coat and rainbow colored mane. Twilight gasped and began to repeat her breathing trick for herself, doing it over and over to bring her to a relaxed state.

The princess turned to them and smiled. "Well hello there, Twilight Sparkle. I came to visit you to make sure everything was alright and I met the most adorable little foal just now."

Gohan swallowed nervously and bowed his head in respect, hoping the foal she spoke of wasn't Goten and yet also hoping he was. It was a confusing feeling. He wanted clues but he didn't want this world's royalty to find out about them and get Twilight in trouble. He should've kept a closer eye on Goten.

Twilight bowed as well and then quickly raised her head. "A - a foal, ma'am?"

She nodded. "Yes, he's right here, actually. He's told me a magnificent story of another world. Do you know this pony, Twilight?"

Twilight looked behind Celestia and noticed a small red pegasus foal with a light blue mane and tail. A blank flank, of course. Twilight sighed and put the two pieces together. This must've been Goten.

"Let me see." Celestia continued before Twilight could answer her question. "If this young one is telling the truth, then that must mean your friend here is his older brother, Gohan." Gohan nodded slowly and bowed his head again.

"I'm sorry if Goten bothered you, ma'am."

She smiled warmly at him before turning to her former student. "Twilight, may I speak with you? Something has come up and we must discuss it at once."

Twilight's eyes grew wide in worry. "Something has… come up? Did something happen?"

Celestia hummed and turned her head to look at the young Goten. "I believe you know the answer to that."

Gohan ushered Goten over, glaring at him dangerously and when the younger brother stood next to him, Gohan smacked him across the back of his head.

Twilight looked to Gohan, looked down and then solemnly followed Princess Celestia into a nearby meeting room to speak of what troubled Luna.

What felt like hours had passed with Gohan glaring at Goten and constantly berating him for flying around the meeting hall saying "I'm a birdie, I'm a birdie, Goten's a birdie!"

"Goten, I know this world is exciting and all but you need to realize that what you did could've put Twilight in a lot of trouble. She could be getting punished right now for all we know!"

Goten landed and kicked at the ground. "Yeah but I didn't mean it. You said this place was full of nice people and telling them about us wouldn't cause any problems."

"I didn't say that! I said telling Twilight about us wouldn't cause problems! You could've gotten lost, Goten, I could've lost you for good. Do you know how heartbroken mom would be if I had to go to her and tell her you were missing in another dimension?"

Goten looked down and pouted. "I'm sorry, Gohan, I'll be more careful."

Gohan sighed. "Alright. Alright. It's okay, let's just, sit and hope that Twilight isn't in too much trouble."

Goten did as he was told and sat down, staring at the ground as he did so.

More time passed and Twilight came out of the meeting hall, looking worried and depressed. "Gohan. Something bad will happen if we don't change the future soon."

Celestia sent a glare to Twilight. "Twilight, I told you to only tell your friends and to not push your luck with this new dimension."

"But he is my friend, Princess! With all due respect, I trust him with my life. I promise nothing bad will happen."

Celestia smiled knowingly and nodded. "Very well, Princess Twilight. I trust your judgement of friends."

Twilight nodded in return and turned back to Gohan and Goten. "I should send you back home, Gohan and, you… " she sighed. "You shouldn't return here again."

Gohan's eye grew wide and he saw tears forming in Twilights own eyes. "But, you can still come to visit me, can't you?"

Twilight shook her head. "No. Princess Luna is in a deep slumber because of a nightmare that attacked her and Princess Celestia. A nightmare that came from the portal. We can't use it anymore."


	13. Chapter 10: Luna's Nightmare

Gohan was shocked. More than that, his heart was broken. His heart wasn't this torn since he watched his father teleport away with Cell. He could spend some time questioning his feelings but now wasn't the place for that.

"I don't understand, Twilight. A nightmare?"

"It's Princess Luna's domain. The world of sleep, that is. The Tantabus was something she created and had complete control over but now it's free. Somehow. And it came from my dream. Celestia thinks it has to do with her visit to me in the night. When I was dreaming about your world."

Goten stepped up. "But that doesn't make any sense. Mom always says that nightmares aren't real."

"They're not, Goten," Twilight said, "but the Tantabus can be real. It was holding it off together that threw her into this sleep that she cannot wake from."

Goten jumped up in the air and began to hover "Let us help you beat it up! We can take it down no problem!"

Gohan hissed through his teeth. "Goten. Hush. This world doesn't work like ours." Gohan lowered his head and bowed to Celestia and Twilight. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble. I will not return."

Goten fought Gohan the whole way back but he was able to push him through the portal with ease. Then he looked back to Twilight one last time before walking through the portal himself. That would be the end of his friendship with Twilight Sparkle. At least, it would be for the time being.

A month of time passed and a new terror had arisen and been defeated. A terror known as Majin Buu. All memories of the event were erased except for those who joined in the fight and during the chaos of the fight, Goku, the father of Gohan, had been brought back to life.

Now Gohan slept in his bed that he shared with his younger brother, having long given up on his chances to meet his friend Twilight Sparkle again, but having not forgotten her face as she entered their world and he had helped her to stand. Something about being forced away from her rubbed him the wrong way but he wasn't sure what he could possibly do about it.

Little did he know that his adventures in Equestria were not over as in his dreams, a hellish nightmare attacked him. One that replayed his mistakes against Cell over and over and had his father express disappointment in him. The look on his father's face was the worst part of the nightmare along with the words his dream father spoke to him as Cell destroyed the planet.

"You've failed Gohan."

"Gohan" He had heard in his dream from a new voice. One that he did not recognize.

"Gohan listen to me, I am here to help." Gohan looked to the night sky and the full moon and from the moon came an alicorn princess. A navy blue one with a flowing blue mane and tail.

As Gohan stared at her, his form was returned to that of his teenaged self and not of that of the child who fought against the monstrous android. "You're… an alicorn princess." Luna used the magic of her horn to blow away the scene, leaving only the disappointed form of Gohan's father in their dream world of stars and bridges of light.

Luna smiled and nodded. "That I am. I am here to help you. This nightmare you have is no ordinary one. It is one that is tainted by a Tantabus."

"Tantabus…" Gohan's eyes grew wide. "That's the monster that put the princess, Luna, into a coma! Wait, she was the princess of dreams, wasn't she? Does that mean you're…?"

"I am her. The princess of the night, Luna."

Gohan swallowed nervously, something about this meeting felt spooky to him. This pony was supposed to be out cold right now, wasn't she? Then again, it had been some time since the incident, maybe she was healed.

"You are wondering why I am here."

"Actually it's more like, are you okay?"

Surprised by his worry of her, Luna blinked a few times and then smiled softly. "Truly you are a good friend of us ponies. I am still trapped traveling from dream to dream, trying to find my way back to my own. I am forced to follow the path of the Tantabus, only, it's not alone."

"The… Tantabus…?"

She nodded. "Yes. That man whom told you your greatest fear is actually the Tantabus in disguise." Using the magic of her horn, Princess Luna shown a bright light to reveal the Tantabus' true form. A hideous cloud of dark smoke that flowed throughout the dream.

"Whoa! Wait, how do we get rid of it?"

"It is being controlled by one who stole my necklace. The necklace which kept my control over the dream world. The one who shall soon arrive here."

"Have you been running from that person this whole time?"

Luna nodded again. "Correct. I have been waiting to find someone to aid me in my fight against them. My sister's strength was not enough. I had hoped to run into Twilight Sparkle and her friends so as to combine their dreams and to defeat the creature who stole the Tantabus from me as we defeated the Tantabus itself long ago. I did not expect for it to connect itself to you and your dream."

"Yeah, that…" Gohan rubbed his head, "that's really confusing, isn't it? Why would it have access to me? I'm from another world."

"I, too, wonder the same thing. Perhaps now that you have entered both worlds, your dreams have become a bridge to them."

"My… dreams?"

"Dreams connect us all, Son Gohan."

"Wait - you know my name!"

"As I said. Dreams connect us all. I knew of your name the instant I entered your dream. You are now just as much my subject as all of the ponies in Equestria."

"A-hah… right. Okay. Wow. That feels weird being told by a pony that I'm their subject."

"Hmm.. is it?"

"Yeah - well - anyways, are you sure you want my help? I failed to defeat Majin Buu twice. How could I possibly defeat whoever gained control of this Tantabus thing?"

"Majin Buu? No matter. I sense a great power within you, Son Gohan and I know all about the feats you have completed. I've seen it through your dreams. I know it must not have been enough to defeat this opponent you mention, but you are more than powerful than all of our alicorn prowess combined. You are the one who must help me defeat this foe."

Gohan swallowed nervously. "Alright. I'll do it. Do we just wait here or….?"

Luna nodded but before she could open her mouth to speak, a tear in Gohans dream broke through and out of it came a creature he never expected to see.


	14. Chapter 11: Failing Once Again

Gohan awoke slowly. The fight lasted hours but he couldn't remember it to save his life. But it wasn't just his life on the line in this case.

Gohan arose from his spot and looked around, ready to run to the book to tell Twilight all of what happened only, he wasn't at home. One look at his hands told him where he was. He was back in…

"Equestria?" he starred in shock, unsure of what to do with this information. Maybe Princess Luna was right. Maybe his dreams were a portal in and of themselves. Still, that didn't change the fact that Princess Luna was in trouble!

He turned to his right and saw the unmoving form of the alicorn he had fought beside. Flashes of memories moved before his eyes and when he took note of the princesses breath, he gasped and stepped away. She wasn't breathing at all.

She was dead and all Gohan could think was that it was his fault.

Before he could gather his thoughts, the door to the princesses chambers was slammed open. He heard the sound of the door before he felt the wind of the force. Within seconds he was trapped within a light of magic, hovering over the room.

"W-wait!" he tried to plea. "What's going on?"

He then saw Princess Celestia walk towards her sisters bed slowly. Without saying a word she stared at the dead princess and then turned away, walking out of the door.

Gohan heard a light whisper mumbled out underneath him before he was transported to what looked to be a prison.

There he was all alone. It almost looked as though the prison was not used for years with cracks in the walls and webs all around.

Gohan stared at the ground and wondered 'What on Earth has happened?' With nothing left to do, Gohan did all he knew how, he laid down and tried to return to his dream, hoping to find Princess Luna alive and well.

With no dreams to visit him, a few hours felt like mere moments and by a bright light that shone through the prison, Gohan was awoken from his nap. He looked to the pink luminosity that surrounded the prison with dejection. This must be his sentence.

"Gohan!" Before he knew it, the foal shaped version of his brother tackled him and he was left confused.

"Goten? What - what in the world are you doing here?! You should be at home! Mom is going to be worried sick about you!"

"Gohan, relax, I brought him here." Gohan looked up to his old friend, Twilight Sparkle, with shock.

"Twilight? What's going on?"

Twilight opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the youngest one in their group. "They think you killed their princess, Gohan! They're going to have a trial and they're gonna kill you!"

Twilight sighed and nodded as Gohan looked to her for confirmation. "Except the trial won't have you in it. It might as well not be a trial. You've been deemed too dangerous to bring up to defend yourself. Unless I can bring proof to Princess Celestia that will convince them of your innocence, she will have you killed for what you've done."

"I…" Gohan looked down, defeated. "I might as well have killed her. I don't really remember what happened. We were attacked by… something. She said it stole her necklace and that it was chasing her."

Twilight looked down in thought and then returned her gaze to Gohan with a serious expression. "Gohan. You have to tell me the truth. Did you kill Princess Luna?"

Gohan shook his head.

"How did you get in her chambers?"

He shook his head again, conveying that he did not know the answer to that.

"Gohan. We have to find the necklace. If we find the creature that stole it, we can bring it to Celestia and prove your innocence. You're under a spell so all we can do is visit you but don't worry. We'll bring the necklace back and get you home."

Gohan nodded and looked to Goten. "Goten. This monster must be more powerful than Majin Buu. We're going to need dad's help. Try to gather as many people as possible to help fight this beast."

"We already tried." Twilight said.

"What?"

Goten answered Gohan this time. "We already tried getting everyone's help. We said we could bring Luna back to life but dad said he can't help what everyone else wants to do and Vegeta got everyone all worked up. They're gonna try to fight. Dad wants to get you back real bad, too. He said 'If they wanna fight for Gohan's life, it's a fight we'll give 'em."

Twilight continued to relay the story. "'Gohan's in trouble' he said, 'we don't have time to search for the Dragon Balls. By then it'll be too late.'"

Gohan's eyes widened. "What? Fight? But that'll be a slaughter! They don't know anything about this world! They don't know magic and they can't use ki! Even you had to practice flying before you got ahold of it!"

Goten nodded. "I tried telling Trunks and he wanted to come too but he has to sneak away from home first."

Gohan tensed. He felt a cold icy nerve run down his back and he shivered because of it. "Goten. You need dad's help. Tell him I'll be fine so long as we can find that necklace. I'm going to go back to sleep and try to find the creature in my dreams. For now, get dad and stop everyone from starting a fight."


End file.
